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My father was no where in sight; nor was his body. Did he burn in the fire? Iris, who stood next to me as I stood in horror at the house, couldn't take her eyes off of me. She obviously knew something was up with how I was acting.

"Is something wrong?" Iris asked.

"Can you keep a secret?" My blue eyes wouldn't - couldn't - look away from the house; I looked closely for any sign of life.

"Uh, well yeah, but you're freaking me out. Can you tell me what's going on?" Iris hassled.

I quickly glanced around me, made sure I was out of way from passing eavesdroppers and any guards when I went to whisper to Iris. "That was my house that just burned down..." I finally managed to pry my eyes from the ashes of it and set my eyes to look at Iris. And I think my father was in it, I didn't say it even though I wanted to.

"I thought you were from Cambreia." Iris says.

"I lied, but only to keep papa safe." As I say this, I notice a body scorched to the bone. I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my horror. Iris, who is babbling a heap of words in the same minute, now sees the body with the burns and I only know this because she shuts up.

I run through the ashes and the ruins of the house. I gracefully touch the body's wrist; which I could hardly find because it's completely black and it still feels hot to the touch. I feel a faint pulse on the body and begin crying. He's still alive. I hold papa's sweltering body to mine in a very careful hug. I knew I was hurting him, but I didn't... I didn't want to let go. I hear my dad speak in a muted voice, "run." He practically breathes out the word, with an added cough that sounded like he was dying. My dad was dying.

This is the end.

I pull away from his body and look into his deep blue eyes with my teary eyes. "Who did this to you?" I demanded and cried.

"...Cass...i...us..." He coughs again, rolls his head over and very quietly says. "It burns." He grips onto me tightly, I feel him lose the grip and he falls back... Then I lose him.

I feel for a pulse, but a pulse is no longer there.

My father is dead... And I have no idea why. I stay at my dad's side until Iris comes to me with Patch, Nash, Blaine and Nissa flowering her. I explain to them quietly what happened, who I am, everything. They help me bury what is left of my dad. Then we go back to Iris and pretend that it never happened; which I'm thankful for. We're spending the night at Iris's apparently.

At Iris's, Meliora draws me a bath and I slip into the lukewarm, thankful that it's not freezing like at my house and that it's not dirty as the lake I made the choice to bathe in as I stayed in the cave. I wash my body and finish drying. I am redressed into a night gown that Meliora has laid out for me. Patch goes to bathe next. The water is a short supply in Easton, okay, it's short in all the cities; unless you can afford it. So being the only one to bathe in your own bath water or to shower is a luxury not many have, and hot water is a luxury too. So most people share the water they bathe in and bathe in whatever temperature the water is because they need to get clean.

Me and Iris sit on her bed, we braid our hair to go down our back in a fishtail braid.

"Kit you have the prettiest hair." Iris giggles, admiring my long brown hair, trying to lighten the mood as we sat on her floor.

"Thanks, but I don't think so." I blushed a deep red.

Nissa and Patch march into the room, arms linked together as they sit on the floor beside us.

"Oh, please. Kit you do have the prettiest hair that I've ever seen... And coming from me, that says something because I have pretty amazing hair." Nissa blurts out.

I shake my head and shrug it off, the conversation goes on without me.

I sat and listened; they all talked about little girly thing's. I knew they were just trying to keep my mind off of my dad, it was best not to talk about this sort of thing inside a city because it could result in another death. We ended up talking until Meliora came and told us all to go to bed. I slept until dawn and watched the sun came out of it's slumber. As it turned a purplish blue, I sat silently and gazed outside of the window and thought of my dad. Who killed him? I think I ought to avenge his death.

Meliora came in and woke up Nissa, Patch and Iris then she woke up the boys and we all went to eat breakfast together, which was just eggs and some burnt bread that Meliora said she bought cheaply from the market's baker. After breakfast we all got up and dressed. I told Iris I would be more comfortable in boy clothing, so she allowed me to wear the only boy clothing she owned; a pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt that was too big for me. Iris told me that they are her rags, clothing that she only wore out in the farm that she claimed her parents own.

We all leave in a group, but I am set to go buy supplies by myself. I pull my hair into a hat that Iris gave me when she gave me the clothes. I wouldn't feel complete outside without a hat. I go into the market, I buy a Chicken that's alive, with it's cage and Chicken feed, grain, matches, wood, coal and 4 jug's of purified water. As I'm carrying the stuff away in a wheelbarrow, that the market woman loaned me, I'm interrupted by Zeke.

"Hey Bat, weren't you visiting Poppy Jareds before the fire, before he died? Did you know he was harboring a second child? That he was even killed for it? It's like all anyone has been talking about."

I tried not to focus on Zeke, so I focused on pushing the wheelbarrow back to Iris's house... Which Zeke followed me there.

"You're staying with the Rosswin's now? You must move around a lot, are you a servant or something?" Zeke was persistent.

"No. I am friend's with Iris." I looked away, keeping a firm grip on the wheelbarrow.

"Iris? Their daughter? I've seen her around town before, she's really pretty, you must be really attracted to her. Eh?" Zeke laughed.

I didn't reply to what Zeke said, because it was stupid. How could he be so oblivious and carefree? A guy is dead, my father is dead... He should be sad, he should be in mourning. Everyone should be in mourning about his death. My father had to be an important man. "Who killed him?"

Zeke stopped blabbering about how attractive Iris is. "Who killed who?" He asked, completely shocked.

Has he already forgot? "Who killed Mr. Jareds?" I think... I think I will retaliate on my father's behalf. He did not deserve to die, not for me. No one deserved to die for letting another person live who was meant to die.

"Uh, Cassius Hartley. You know the leader of Duke Ozzie's private guard?"

I turn my head to Zeke, with a slight smile on my face. "Thanks for telling me, I appreciate it." I walked away from Zeke after that.

I went into her house, after hiding the wheelbarrow in the little barn that held a horse right behind Iris's house.

I am going to train to kill Cassius, for killing my father. I will kill the person who made up that stupid law.

It's not fair.

They cannot tell me that I am not allowed to be alive because I was not born first. And because they were once over populated. I will make this end, for all the little babies who were murdered because they were not "first".

I wait for my group to return, when they do they sit down and chat. I learn that we are spending the night again. So I ask if I can go to the local library; the only place in this city that has a working computer. I know this because they have a bunch of ads on TV about it. No one seems to mind, so I change into girl clothes and leave. I changed so Zeke wouldn't stalk me; I wanted him to leave me alone.

The library was down the street, a woman named Primula was working it as the librarian. She offered to show me how to work the computer. "Here you go, darling." She said, pressing her dark red lips together as she clicked, typed and signed in.

I smiled, to only show my gratitude towards her. "Thank you, Miss." I say to her, when she's done explaining and showing me how to work it properly. I take notice that she doesn't have a wedding band on any of her fingers.

"No problem, if you have any further questions don't hesitate to ask." She said, then walked away.

I stared at the computer screen, not knowing how to work it. I wiggled what Primula called "the mouse" over to - what she called "an icon" - with the letter I on it, that stood for what she called "Internet". I typed in the "search" engine "Cassius Hartley." What popped up was him and his family, he has a wife named Luna and a daughter named Bliss. All three of their photos popped up. Cassius was a big tan man, with a peach fuzz beard, dark brown eyes and by the looks of his picture he was very muscular. Luna was a thick pale woman, in her her photo. Her chubby face was covered in makeup, thick bright blue eyes, bright red lipstick. Colors that were so bright. Luna looked entirely different from everyone in Easton just from her picture. Bliss looked like a younger copy of Luna, except a little tanner. When I looked below their photos I saw that they've lived in Stetson, Libena and now Melrose street in Easton. Melrose is the only street made for the rich folk. Such as, the ruler of our city or someone who could afford it. Honestly, hardly anyone could afford it here in Easton. Even Iris's family probably wouldn't be able to afford such luxury homes. I left the library and went back to Iris's. I asked Nash and Patch to teach me how to fight.

Patch told me she'd teach me all she could, but she said that Nissa excels in that category compared to her. Nash and Patch taught me how to hold and use my dagger properly. They also said that either Blaine or Nissa could sharpen it for me before we leave. I learned how to cut thing's very precisely. The main vain to cut was the jugular vain in any animal, but you have to cut it "just so" with "just the right amount of pressure" - so you would be able to eat it. I don't think they realized they were teaching me how to kill a living person and I think I ought to keep it at that. They told me I would be allowed to practice better when we go out hunting tomorrow before or sometime before we leave. Which will be in two days. I have to learn self-defense, how to kill and practice being sneaky more. When we are done, I've caused only a number of scratches and cuts on both Patch and Nash. They have go to clean there-selves up. I take a mental note that they didn't even get a scratch on me.

Iris and Meliora are busy cooking - getting dinner read for Iris's dad, Chip. Nissa and Blaine are busy making equipment that might be necessary, like armor and stuff. I request a light set of armor to be made for myself. It's a light set of armor, because heavy set would mean I can't run as fast - and trust me, I think I will be needing to run. Nissa says she will have it done by the time we leave. And then I have Blaine sharpen my blade on my dagger, he says he will make me a sword once we get on the road.

I end up helping Iris in the kitchen cooking, she and her mom are making a stew with potatoes, carrots and stuff. I am sent to sit at the table and peel off the potatoes skin. While they talk mindlessly about things, like what was new...etc... Apparently Meliora and Chip are wanting Iris to get married, so they can expand their family. Meliora claims she has a man who wants to marry Iris who's from Aspyn, but Iris declines. When Blaine enters the kitchen, I notice the tension in the room automatically between Blaine, Iris and Meliora.

"So, Blaine do you ever plan to marry?" Meliora asks rudely to Blaine, so rude it's almost sarcastic.

I wonder why Meliora is directing a bunch of attitude towards Blaine.

"Maybe." Blaine says and gets a cup of and fixes himself a glass of water.

I take another mental note to ask Blaine and Iris why Meliora is so hostile to Blaine later.

When Chip get's home, we eat together like one big family. Everyone eats me, Meliora, Chip, Blaine, Nissa, Patch, Nash and Iris. I stuff my face with the food. Bread. Stew. And a glass of fresh milk. I stuff my face so much, I don't think about savoring the flavor. We get done eating dinner and me, Iris, Nissa and Patch head up to Iris's bed room.

Once we are there, we all change into our pajamas. That's when Nissa notices a long scrape on Patch's arm. "Whoa, what happened to your arm?" Nissa asks Patch.

Patch points at me. "She might look weak and small, but give her a knife she and she has one hell of an arm."

I blush, when this causes all the girls except Patch to look at me with a shocked expression.

"You should see the mark she put on Nash's back. He almost needed stitches!" Patch adds.

I blush again, embarrassed. "...Tell him I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry. By the way, why did you want to learn how to fight anyway?" Patch asks me.